When Emily and JJ made it back to the station with Captain Walsh, they found that Penelope had done exactly as instructed.
"Which room did you put the parents in?" Walsh asked. "The gathering room at the end?"
"Yes, and a new development happened while you were away, m'am." Penelope said to Walsh.
"Really? I was only gone for twenty m—never mind. What went down?"
"Two dead bodies were just called in, about a block apart from each other. Both men were discovered with yellow yarn tied around their wrists."
"Par for the course, because that's what Olivia Spelling had."
"Exactly." Penelope looked to Emily and JJ. "Tara and Matt are the morgue, Reid is overseeing a crime scene with Will and Primrose, and Rossi is at the other crime scene. Luke is with him."
"Got it." JJ glanced at Walsh. "I know you're the hands-on type. Why don't you have Penelope help you figure out where you want to go? Emily and I are going to go direct a group interview."
"Okay. We'll catch up later."
Captain Walsh agreed that this was a good idea, so they parted ways.
"I asked Penelope to the scour the area where Katherine was taken from, to check for security cameras." Emily told JJ. "She discovered that Katherine and Olivia were nabbed from a shopping mall."
JJ furrowed her brow. "But even Clifford said that they would have only been down here for that support group."
"He did say that," Emily agreed. "But we definitely have that footage on camera. It's just fuzzy because the nineties called… and you get the rest."
"I do, but I have to admit that that is a decade I wish I could cleanse my soul of." JJ deadpanned. "Except for Coachella. And Burning Man."
Emily arched an eyebrow, nonplussed. "You did what?"
"I had to have some fun before buckling down and focusing on FBI life." JJ winked. "I'm sure I have the pictures in the attic at home."
"Even after all these years, I learn something new about you all the time." Emily said in wonder. "Now let's move. And please keep your cool, JJ."
They had arrived at the room where the parents were waiting.
"Of course, Em. I'm all good."
Emily gave a nod of approval and held the door open for JJ.
They were met by Clifford and Hannah, as well as the parents of Dev Salazar, Esai Coleman, Dashel Goldberg, and Hope and Faith Ridley. All six couples rose to receive them. However, the tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife.
"No need to stand on our accounts." Emily made motions for everyone to resume their seats at the conference table. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss, and with me is my partner, SSA Jennifer Jareau."
She spoke up. "We know two of you at this table, but we need everyone to help us to understand what happened—you all heard the rebroadcast of Katherine Spellings' missing persons report?"
"That's exactly what happened." Mister Salazar said. "Each of us made the choice to come here, after that."
His wife backed him up. "We—that is to say, my husband and I—heard through the grapevine that the parents of those other children don't want to be involved now. Is that correct?"
"Uh-huh." Emily said. "None of the parents want put their children through the trauma again. They want to put it behind them."
"We want our babies back, to help them heal. I'm sure everyone else here would agree."
The Colemans, Goldbergs, and Ridleys all gave murmurs of agreement to Missus Salazar's proclamation. Clifford and Hannah just nodded silently. Being in the same room as the rest of the parents of the missing kids made everything surreal. Neither Jareau was sure of what to say.
Their child in the situation was an adult. The rest of the children were actual young children.
Mister Coleman spoke before JJ or Emily could speak, motioning to the Jareaus.
"What I would like to know is who they are." he said. "They haven't spoken a word."
"Oh, don't be rude, Osiris." Missus Coleman hissed at him. "They must also be here for a reason."
Both of the Colemans, and the Salazars, Goldbergs, and Ridleys turned to the people they hoped had some kind of clue.
Clifford told the group, "Hannah and I are Katherine's parents. We don't know anything more than any of you about all this."
"We just haven't been sure of what to say," Hannah tacked on. "Because there's been another hiccup on top of what's happened with Katherine."
Mister Golberg blanched. "In what way?"
With nods of permission from Emily and JJ, Hannah continued. "Katherine's three-year-old—our granddaughter—was also taken, but she was brought back. We think she was let go."
"Wow…"
"And where is your granddaughter now?" pressed Missus Goldberg.
"Olivia is with our son and his family. She's fast asleep at the moment because she's too exhausted, I'm afraid."
"Oh. That's okay—we understand."
Across the table, Mister Coleman spoke thoughtfully now. "This all means there's hope for the rest of the kids, right? Since Olivia was let go and found safe?"
JJ and Emily were watching this conversation unfold.
They met all kinds of people while out on cases, and they had truly seen every kind of reactions parents could possibly to any bad news. Today was different. Of course, the rest of the parents were extremely worried about their missing children, but nobody was hysterical. It was as if Clifford's and Hannah's presence was generating a calming effect.
As JJ surveyed everyone, she realized that neither of the Ridleys had contributed to the conversation after agreeing that all they wanted was the safe return of their children. Perhaps they were the key.
JJ spoke to Missus Ridley, a younger woman, because she was the closest in proximity to her. "What are you thinking?"
"Have your people figured out yet how old our girls just turned?" Missus Ridley asked.
"Indeed we have. What day exactly was it?"
"The day before yesterday—the girls' party was themed for their favorite TV show. Has your team dealt with children before today?"
"Many times because it's actually one of our specialties. We're doing everything we can to make sure that everyone is returned safe and sound."
These words gave Missus Riley some comfort. "Thank you. Are you a mom?"
"I am."
"Then you get the worry we're feeling."
JJ nodded. "I really do understand."
Missus Riley turned to her husband to see he had a far-off look in his eyes. "Kent, now is hardly the time to go quiet."
"I'm sorry, Spring." he told her.
Kent Ridley then regarded the FBI agents.
"You two are partners, right? What division do you belong to?"
"The Behavioral Analysis Unit, out of Quantico." JJ answered him. "Did you need something, Mister Ridley?"
He shook his head. "No, but you said that you and your partner know a couple at this table, right? Would it be Katherine's parents? They're the eldest and quietest here."
JJ sighed. "We know the Jareaus because they are my father and stepmother."
"It's true." Hannah substantiated. "And our child is just like the rest of yours: missing in action."
Clifford nodded. "Right now, our other daughter is the one to look to. She is the best."
JJ's heart instantly took a nosedive in surprise at this last part—it had been a long time since she'd heard anything like a compliment from her father. He really did care. Even if it was extremely deep down.
JJ cleared her throat. "It's too early to know exactly is going on, but we have gathered that everyone in the same place. They're also somewhere in town."
Emily backed her up. "To that end, our team has teamed up with MPD so that we can get to the bottom of all this. There is just one thing that my partner and I need clarified for the moment."
"What's that, please?" Missus Coleman asked quickly.
"Have any of you known each other—other than to whom you're married—before today?"
Everybody said no.
Emily stood, with JJ following suit. The others followed their example.
"We have every bit of confidence that they are going to be found today, and that Katherine will be with them." Emily said confidently. "All of you are welcome to stay here at the station, but we just ask that you don't leave D.C. if you do choose to leave."
Almost everyone elected to followed Emily out. One parent remained behind, lingering near the doorway. Something was worrying her.
JJ approached the woman. "Is there something you wanted to tell me, Missus Ridley?"
She laughed softly. "Just call me Spring—that's my name."
"Alright, Spring. What's on your mind?"
"I promise you that Kent does care, but I'm the one who wears their heart on their sleeve." she began. "Our girls are best friends, and totally inseparable. They think the world of each other. Good thing, too."
"Why's that?" JJ asked curiously.
"Faith is deaf, but she speaks and signs. Hope is very patient with her about it. Hey, is it true that Katherine Spelling is your stepsister?"
"It's as true as the day is long."
"Then do you think there's a chance she'd look after the kids right now? Since she's a mother, and they're all in the same place?"
Of the many things JJ knew about her sister, one surefire fact was that Katherine was extremely maternal.
"Those chances are one hundred percent. Have your daughters ever spent a night away from you and your husband?"
"No." said Spring.
She took a beat to gather her thoughts.
"Take your time." JJ encouraged. "I won't judge."
"The girls are my first kids, but we also have Zephyr—he's from Kent's first marriage." Spring drew closer to JJ now. "I love my stepson. I really do. Sadly, he's a wildcard and it's like he can't keep his nose clean to save his life. Kent is just too proud to admit that his only son is rough around the edges."
"Every parent wants to see only the best in their child. Is your stepson local?"
"He is, and look into him if you have to. Just don't be shocked if Kent gets defensive."
"Okay. I'll take that under advisement." JJ said. "Is there anything more?"
Spring answered her question with a question. "You said that you're a mom?"
"I am. I have two sons at home, and," JJ pointed to her middle. "Two more kids in here."
"Love your kids. Never take your eyes off them while they're around, so you don't mess up like we did." Spring deposited some things from her purse into JJ's hands. "Will you make sure whoever gets to Faith and Hope first gives these to them? They're their most treasured toys in the world."
The toys in question were a pair of adorable handmade rag dolls.
JJ held them tightly. "I will. Thank you for trusting me."
"You're welcome." Spring looked around. "Where did your partner take everyone else?"
"I'm sure they're close by."
Emily had made quick work of turning one of the station's many conference rooms into a sort of waiting area of sorts. There were plenty of chairs, a table of snacks, and a stack of folded-up blankets on one chair. Nobody had touched anything.
What made JJ shiver was that it was deadly quiet.
Emily exited the room to see her partner watching the couples.
She pulled her away so they could have some quiet. "What did Spring Ridley tell you?"
"That she's extremely concerned for Faith and Hope—they're her first children. It also turns out that the girls have a big brother."
"Is he from a previous relationship or marriage?"
"Yes. He's called Zephyr, and the way Spring described it, I was given the impression that he doesn't live at home."
"Alright. Penelope can look into him, but why don't you save the whole story for when we're with her?"
"Good call." JJ agreed. "I've also learned that Faith is deaf, but she can speak and sign. Hope is very close to her. They sound like best friends."
"Well, at least there's that." Emily remarked in relief.
"Missus Ridley also wanted to know if I thought Katherine would feel inclined to look after the children because Faith and Hope have never spent a night away from home before."
"All the more motivation to find them today..."
"Hey, did you notice anything in particular about Mister Ridley?"
"No." Emily replied after a pause. "He strikes me as the reserved sort, but from what I gathered from, he's as worried as his wife is. Why?"
"It's about Zephyr again." JJ said sheepishly.
"Understood." Emily pointed to the rag dolls as they began walking again. "Where did those come from, Jayje?"
"Spring Ridley—they belong to the twins. She wanted the girls to have something familiar when they're found." JJ gave her partner a 'I'm doing everything I can to not burst into tears' look. "Emelise, this case is really screwing with me. Should I hold on to the toys?"
"Yes." Emily decided. "Let's go find Penelope."
They found the tech analyst squirreled away at her computer in the main conference room. She was focused on her task of clearing up the abduction footage, so she didn't notice Emily and JJ join her.
Their arrival caused Penelope to have such a start that she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin.
"Woah, PG." Emily said as they sat with her. "Easy does it."
JJ moved Penelope's travel mug of hot coffee out of reach. "Maybe you should cut back on the caffeine, hm?"
"Right." Penelope gave her friends her utmost attention. "Have you two spoken to those other families yet?"
"We certainly have, and we've learned some things."
"I'm all ears."
Together, the duo told her what they'd learned during the group interview. JJ even showed her the rag dolls.
"Missus Ridley also told me an interesting fact about her family to she told me I should look into."
Penelope opened the research program on her laptop. "Go."
"Spring Ridley, the twins' mother, told me that her husband has a song from a previous marriage named Zephyr. She described him a wildcard."
"Yikes. What else did she say?"
"Her words were, 'it's like he can't keep his nose clean to save his life.' Am I the only one getting 'wrong side of the law' vibes?"
"No." Penelope and Emily chimed in unison.
"Good." JJ spoke directly to Penelope now. "I would presume that a Zephyr's last name is also Ridley. Why don't you give that a spin first?"
Emily added, "Please cast your net to include surrounding areas, namely the ones where everyone has been taken from."
"One moment…"
Penelope input the search parameters, and she was rewarded with lightning-fast results.
"I—"
She was interrupted by the arrival of Luke, of all people.
Emily looked at her subordinate in surprise. "Alvez, you're back already?"
He nodded. "I am, and Rossi is off with Will and Primrose…"
He was very flighty, but Emily knew this as his 'confused, but working my way to a hot clue' expression.
"Cough it up." Emily warned.
Luke spat out his answer very quickly. "We have a visitor."
"Okay, but what's got you acting like this?"
"Come see." Luke beckoned to his colleagues. "All three of you."
They followed him to the hallway, where he went to stand beside the person in question. She was young, dressed professionally, and even sporting a sharp leather messenger bag. The woman even bore a very strong resemblance to Luke.
The profiler noticed his friends digesting all this and took the initiative in continuing the conversation.
"Emily, JJ, Penelope, this is my younger sister, Bex Alvez. She's new in town." Luke turned to her. "These are some of the people I work with. We've got my CO, her partner, and our all-knowing fact finder. Tell them what you told me."
Bex Alvez exhaled noisily. "I'm part of the reason that Katherine and Olivia came down from Baltimore today."